


To protect or be protected

by harryisqueen



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, F/M, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 22:14:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16167917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harryisqueen/pseuds/harryisqueen
Summary: El is afraid to sleep because she feels the need to protect. Mike & Hopper help try and fix that.





	To protect or be protected

After Eleven closed the gate she still had strong fears of the bad men or the Demogorgon coming back for her. To hurt her. To steal her away again to the upside down or the lab. She knew it was illogical seeing as the gate was closed and Papa was dead. She still had fears and nightmares.

So she came up with a plan she knew would work. She protected at night and Hopper or Steve who babysat her protected during the day. Just in case there was a surprise attack during the night or day. She would be able to protect her newfound father figure from danger.

Hopper was the first to notice and pointed out her daytime tiredness on multiple occasions. She had brushed it off and acted as if she was sleeping fine. It wasn’t entirely a lie. She took multiple naps while Hopper was at work and Steve was watching her or if her friends were over.

Steve naturally was the next to notice her exhaustion. He had been watching her for a few months now and had just begun to notice the dark sunken bags under her eyes. Steve had naturally asked her if she was okay. He didn’t expect her to tell him if something was wrong. He was sure she was alright. She had defeated a monster, saved the world and closed a gate to another dimension. He was sure she could handle herself.

Mike was the last to notice. The only reason he hadn’t noticed sooner was that he only was able to see El once a month. Sure it sucked but they still Communicated over their supercoms which made them being apart much easier to bare.

It became more and more apparent to the people around El that she simply wasn’t sleeping. She always seemed detached from conversations around her. Normally she was more than excited to listen to everyone talk and engage in conversation herself. 

Mike was nearly at the end of his rope. He was tired of watching El struggling. Clearly exhausted. He was tired of seeing her dozing off midway through conversations. He couldn’t stand it anymore he had to ask her if she was okay. If she was sleeping properly.

So Mike finally decided to ask her. They had been hanging out all afternoon with the party-and El’s head seemed to constantly drop. She seemed ready to collapse or fall asleep at any moment.

So Mike decided it was time to find out what was going on. He gently urged her off the couch explaining that he wanted to talk to her about something in private.

“Hey, kids don’t do anything bad ya hear? If you do I won't hesitate to beat your asses AND tell Hopper” Steve yelled after them.

Mike just rolled his eyes and led El to her bedroom where they could talk.

 “El is everything alright?” Mike asked.

El snapped out her daze “Hmm nothing.”

“El I’ve noticed something being off about you. You seem so tired. You’ve got these large bags under your eyes. Are you sleeping at all? I know your nightmares can be bad but are you sleeping at all?”

At that El’s bottom lip started wobbling. Oh no. Oh no. He’d upset her. Maybe he’d been too harsh. He knew she didn’t like raised voices or stern tones. They reminded her of “papa”.

“El I’m sorry if there’s something going on that you don’t want to tell me you don’t have to. Sure friends don’t lie but you should never feel obligated to tell me or any of the others something you’re not comfortable talking about.”

“I’m scared,” She quietly murmured.

Mikes eyebrows raised at this. It was understandable that she was scared. Hell, he was scared of everything they had been through.

“Of what El?” Mike asked.

 

“That the gate will be reopened. That Papa will come back or the bad men. They could hurt Hopper because he’s in the way of getting ahold of me. I just I don’t know. I feel like I’m going crazy I want-to sleep I know I need to sleep but I need to protect Hopper when he’s asleep because he can’t protect himself.” She sobbed.

“Oh El,” Mike said softly.

Mike reached out and gently caressed her head. Swiping his thumb on the top of her cheek bone to wipe away the tears from her wet cheeks.

“I’m sorry.” She muttered furiously wiping at her Cheeks.

“El no it’s okay. But you have to know not sleeping isn’t healthy. It can seriously harm your health. IS there anything we can figure out to do that would help you sleep? Have you considered some medicine that would help you sleep or a medicine that would ease your anxieties about sleeping?”

“No, No medicine,” El demanded.

“Okay, no medicine but maybe you could go to a therapist or a psychiatrist. It’s like a doctor but they help you with what’s going on in your life. It’s not like the doctors at the lab or a hospital they just listen and you don’t even have to be in a normal doctor’s room usually they have a room kind of like a living room!”

“How do you know?” El asked.

Most people would be frustrated if someone second-guessed their word. But this was El she had been locked away in a lab for 12 years of her life he would be a total ass if he just acted like she should know all of this.

“Because I go to one,” Mike said.

“You go to a doctor that helps you and all you have to do is talk to them? No medicine?”

“Well it depends sometimes the doctor has to give you medicine to help you. But they only do it if its necessary and they think it’ll help you feel better. Tonight when Hopper gets home maybe you can talk to him about it.”

“If I talk to Hopper would you stay and help?” El asked.

“Yeah of course El!”

So the two of them Eagerly waited for Hopper's arrival home. Well, mostly Mike waited. Mike had El take a nap whilst they waited. Lord knew she needed it.

Finally, at 5:15 the secret knock was heard at-the-door. Mike urged El awake so that she could Unlock it and let Hopper in.

Hopper gave his usual greeting to Steve. The rest of the party had left earlier in order to be home in time for dinner. Mike however fully intended to stay for dinner even if Hopper said no. Steve made his move to leave however Mike stayed on the couch.

“C’mon baby wheeler it’s time to go home,” Steve said.

“No, I figured I’d stay for dinner. El and I need to talk to Hopper about something.” Mike said.

Hopper’s brows raised at this.

“Alright Wheeler you can stay but whatever you guys need to talk to me about better be important and make sure your parents know where you are,” Hopper said.

“Oh, I already called my mom and told her I’d be staying for dinner.”

“Cocky of you,” Hopper said rolling his eyes.

Nearly an hour later the three of them were sat around the table a large cheese pizza in-front-of them.

“So what do you hellions need to talk to me about?” Hopper asked around a mouthful of food.

“I want to see a head doctor. To tell them my problem.” El said.

Hoppers brows furrowed in obvious confusion.

“She means a therapist. Not to overstep but she hasn’t been sleeping hardly at all. El is too scared to fall asleep. She feels a need to protect you and the rest of us from the Demogorgon. She needs someone she can talk to about everything. And sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone you don’t know about your problems before you talk to a friend or a family member about them.” Mike said.

“If you really think it’ll help we’ll figure out a way to get you one once you’re able to be out of hiding,” Hopper said.

“What that’s not for another 4 months! What is she supposed to do in the meantime? You do know lack of sleep can literally kill someone.” Mike argued.

“I know kid but there’s literally nothing else I can do. Do you know how dangerous it could be to let her out of hiding earlier? It’s only 4 months that’s 16 weeks. We’ll figure out a temporary solution until then.” Hopper said.

Mike rolled his eyes “Yeah like what?”

“You can’t fall asleep because you’re scared. Right kid.” Hopper asked El.

“Yeah,” El muttered.

She ducked her head in shame. She always felt bad asking for things. Or asking for help in general. In the lab, anything that she asked was shunned and bad. Then she was punished for asking.

“If she feels she has to protect me and you guys. I’ll sleep in her room on the floor. To help with the protection. Take her shift so she can sleep.” Hopper said.

“But if the bad men or Demogorgon come back they would hurt you,” El muttered quietly.

“Don’t worry kid I have a gun and I can always wake you up,” Hopper said.

“Since El can’t see a therapist or anything until she’s able to be out of the cabin are you seriously going to sleep on her floor for 4 months,” Mike asked.

It wasn’t that Mike didn’t trust that Hopper wouldn’t take care of El. He always had her best interest in his heart. He was worried Hopper would drop sleeping on her floor After just a few weeks.

“Yes, I will kid don’t worry about it. And as soon as its safe for her to go out into the world we’ll get you to a therapist El.” Hopper said leaning over to ruffle El’s hair.

She gave him a small smile and returned to her pizza. It was a temporary solution but she was happy. Happy that she finally had people who really cared about her. People who were just as willing to protect her as she was to protect them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?
> 
> follow me on tumblr! harryisqu33n.tumblr.com


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